Shadows of the Empire
by Arkbird
Summary: When Nye, the son of a small time cargo hauler, goes on a job with his parents, things go bad fast and his life is changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

Nye awoke to the gentle hum of the ship's engines. The sound permeated the entire ship, a comforting sound to all on board. Nye hauled himself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his emerald green eyes and stretching hard. He shuffled into the bathroom, still half asleep. He washed up quickly before slipping on a loose shirt and pants and trying to impose some order on long, brown hair. He finally gave up and walked into the galley of the ship, yawning long and hard. He opened the door to the galley, and found his mother sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, honey." She said, looking over a data pad.

"G'mornin'" He mumbled, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down beside her, "What's that?"

"Oh, it's just a cargo manifest, we just got a job a few hours ago." She took a sip of her coffee. "It's mostly farm equipment and stuff like that."

Nye made sound of acknowledgment, sipping at his coffee and looking around for something to eat.

"You know, hun," his mother said, grinning, "If you drink too much of that stuff, you'll stunt your growth, if you haven't already." Nye shot her a dirty look.

"Oh haha, really funny mom!" Nye said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Nye's height was a sensitive subject for him. At sixteen years old, he only just broke five feet tall. His parents and friends never missed an opportunity to tease him about it. Nye made a few pieces of toast and sat down next to his mother. He nibbled on his toast, looking over at the data pad.

"So how much longer till we get to the pick up point?"

"About a day," his mother said, looking over at him "You know, hun, you really should eat a proper breakfast."

Nye rolled his eyes "Mom, I'm fine." He drank down the last of his coffee and stood up, "I'm gonna go see what dad's up to." Just down the hall on the right was the cockpit. Nye shuffled his way to the cockpit, feeling a bit more awake thanks to the coffee. He opened the cockpit doors and found his father sitting in the pilot's seat, fussing over various controls and interfaces. Nye plopped down next to him in the co-pilots chair. Their ship was an old Barloz class freighter called the _Aegis Fate_. It wasn't pretty or fast, but it was tough and durable, and would last a lifetime.

"Mornin, son." His father said, looking up from the console, "Sleep well?"

"Well enough," Nye replied, leaning back in the seat. His father's most prominent feature was also his own; a pair of seven inch long ears, pointing straight back and slightly up. At least, that's how they were normally oriented. Their ears moved with their emotions, making them very easy to read. At the moment, Nye's were pointed straight back, tilted slightly up; a relaxed position. His father's were positioned the same way, but that didn't always mean anything. His father had learned to control the position of his ears, if only so his mother wouldn't always have the upper hand. "So, what needs to get done before we rendezvous with the cargo?" Nye asked, standing up and stretching out a bit.

"There isn't a whole lot that needs to be done," His father said, standing up as well and moving toward the door, "we just need to get the cargo bay cleaned up." Nye nodded, moving out the door and starting to make his way down the halls. "Oh, and one more thing!" His father called after him, "The number three sublight engine is out again, can you try and get it back up?" Nye groaned, the number three engine was always breaking down, and the cause always seemed to be something different.

Nye walked slowly down the long main hall, muttering darkly to himself about the goddamn engine. He moved quickly through the ship's machine shop and into the huge cargo bay. The cargo bay took up most of the ship, and could hold about 85 metric tons of cargo. Most of the time though, it wasn't filled to capacity, and now it was pretty much empty. Nye sighed. The empty cargo bay was becoming an all to common sight. Business wasn't doing so well it seemed. At least he didn't have to pick his way through a maze of cargo boxes.

Nye tapped the door controls when he reached the other side of the cargo bay and stepped into the engineering room. A rush of hot air greeted him, filling his nose and lungs. It felt like he started sweating almost instantly. _Dammit, now I'm going to have to take another shower, _Nye thought. He flipped open the lid on the large toolbox squatting in the corner of the room, and pulled out a screwdriver. He walked over and popped off the maintenance panel for the engine. It was obvious it wasn't working, but it was much less obvious what was broken. Nye sighed again. It could take hours to just figure out what the problem was. Nye reluctantly got up and walked over to the toolbox, pulled out a hand full of tools, and went to work.

And sure enough, it did take a few hours just to diagnose the problem. Nye had pretty much pulled apart the entire engine assembly looking for the problem. He finally found the issue after digging for hours; a pair of couplings that hadn't been installed correctly. The incorrect installation had cause sparks to pass between them, causing some of the thin metal on them to melt away. Nye crawled out of the engine and slumped against the wall breathing heavily, deciding to take a little break before installing the new couplings. The heat back in the engine room was beyond oppressive. It made it almost impossible to work. Sweat was continuously rolling down his forehead into his eyes. His hair was matted with sweat and his face was splotched with grease. His shirt looked like he'd been doused with a hose. He stripped it off for what little it was worth. His sweat had put an unwelcome and slightly disgusting feeling of humidity in the room. It was an all together miserable workspace.

As he leaned against the wall for a few more minutes, breathing heavily, his mind wandered. He contemplated his families current situation. The Empire had placed more restrictions and rules on freight hauling as of late, which means his parents had to start charging more. People started to move away from the small shipping companies to the larger ones, who were able to offer services at a lower rate. As a result, his parents were being contracted less and less, and the people who did hire them were more often then not very shady. Nye sighed, which he seemed to be doing more and more of these days. He hauled himself to his feet and took a big swig of water from a bottle his mother had brought him. He looked down at his shirt laying on the ground, regarding it with disgust. He wasn't about to go back in with out it on, but somehow the idea of putting on the sweat drenched shirt that he had been wearing moments ago seemed repulsive. He tried not to think about it as he slipped it back on. He stood staring at the gaping hole in the wall. His shoulders slumped. The heat had sucked all the energy out of him. He wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and sleep for a few days. He sighed.

Nye sluggishly moved back into the engine, the two new couplings in his pocket. He tried to pick up the pace a bit, but his movements remained slow. _Maybe I shouldn't have taken that break_, he thought. He shoved the couplings into place, and slid back out. He gazed at the engine parts scattered about before him. He groaned. It would take at the every least, another two hours to put the whole damn thing back together again. He somehow found the willpower to pick up a piece and put it back into it's place. He looked back at the pile of parts and almost cried. This was going to take forever.

After what seemed like an eternity, he fit the last piece into place and tightened it down. Nye screwed the access panel back on and dropped his tools on the ground. There would be time for cleanup after he took a shower and slept for a couple months. Nye hit the door controls and took a shuffling step out into the cargo bay. A blast of cool air hit him, a smile breaking out across his face. He peeled off his sweat soaked shirt and shivered as the cool air enveloped his body, causing goosebumps to pop up all over. He smiled even wider. At least there was some kind of a silver lining to that horrible job. It almost felt like he was reborn, made a whole new person. He stood there for a few minutes, savoring the feeling, before shuffling back into his room.

He tossed his shirt across the room, hitting the ground with a loud splat. He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his pants and underwear, and turned on the shower. While he waited for the water to get to the right temperature, he leaned back against the wall. The metal bulkhead seemed downright cold, and he shivered delightfully. Nye leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the running water for a few minutes. He jerked his head up as he realized he was about to fall asleep, and stepped into the shower. He took his time in the shower, making sure to get every last speck of dirt and filth off of him. He smiled to himself. As much as he hated doing the actual work, and the conditions he had to do it in, there was nothing more satisfying than cleaning up and cooling down afterward. He finally turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel off the rack and dropping it on the floor when he was done with it. He walked back into his room, put on a fresh pair of underwear and collapsed onto his bed, asleep before his head touched the pillow.

Nye awoke a few hours later, literally rolling out of bed. He slowly picked himself up and threw on a pair of lose fitting pants and a shirt. His whole body felt fatigued, but he knew that if he slept any more, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. He gathered up his sweaty work clothes and dragged them into the laundry room, throwing them in a pile next to the washer. He shuffled back into the engine room, picking up his tools as quickly as he could.

Nye looked around the cargo bay. His father had asked him to tidy it up a bit, but it wasn't _that bad_. He could do it later. He slowly walked the length of the ship, back up to the galley. He peeked his head inside, looking for either one of his parents. Neither was. He was about to turn and leave when his stomach growled quite loudly, followed by a sudden pang of hunger. He walked quickly over the fridge and hastily pulled out the makings of a sandwich. He quickly threw the sandwich together and scarfed it down like he hadn't eaten in days. He chugged down a glass of juice after it, then sat there for a bit, staring at his plate, trying to decide whether or not he was still hungry. After much deliberation, he decided to make another one, and devoured it only slightly slower than the first. He chugged down another glass of juice. He belched loudly after he finished, giggling to himself.

His hunger now sated, Nye resumed the search for his parents. He walked up the hall to the bridge, and looked inside. Both his parents were there, sitting next to each other and talking in hushed voices.

"Hey." Nye, said, walking into the bridge. His mother turned around and smiled at him, motioning him over. He walked over and knelt down between them. "What's going on?"

"We're approaching the cargo pick up point," his father said, looking over the display screens in front of him.

"Well, that was a lot sooner than expected." Nye commented, looking over the display screens as well.

"Well, honey, your father isn't known for his calculation skills." His mother quipped, grinning slyly. Nye's father opened his mouth to protest, but closed it and threw up his hands in defeat. Nye chuckled, his mother seemed to have a gift for zingers.

"So, how much longer?" Nye asked, getting to his feet.

"We should be there in an hour, that I am sure of. Did you manage to get the engine fixed?"

"Yeah, I did. It only took me half a day." Nye said, crossing his arms. Nye's father ignored his tone of voice.

"And did you get the cargo bay cleaned up?" His father asked, looking back at him.

"No, Dad, like I said, I've just spend the entire day in the engine room."

"Well, could you do it please?" His father asked, turning back to the controls in front of him.

"Why? I doubt we're going to need 85 metric tons worth of room just for some farming stuff." Nye's ears moved, pointing straight up and turning parallel with his head, in annoyance and a bit of defiance.

"Because I'm your father, and I'm telling you to." Nye's father said slowly, annoyance creeping into his voice, but his ears remained level.

"That's not a reason!" Nye yelled, his ears pointing straight up at the ceiling, quivering slightly.

"Ok, how's this for a reason." Nye's father's voice became low and even. Nye gulped. That's how you knew his dad was getting angry. "If you don't, then I'll lock you in your quarters until we deliver the cargo, which will be about a week, with no kind of entertainment. You can just sit there and stare at the walls. How does that sound?"

"Fine." Nye said, his voice and body quivering with anger and humiliation at being defeated so easily. He turned on his heel and walked quickly out the door and down the hall, his hands balled into fists. His mind was racing as he started to work in the cargo bay, throwing the lighter objects sloppily into one corner, and getting the hand trolly to move the heavier boxes. How dare his father humiliate him like that? He fumed as he roughly moved the boxes into another corner of the room. His ears stayed pointing straight up the entire time.

_I can't wait till I'm out of here,_ he thought, moving the last few boxes into place. It didn't look in the least bit neat, but he didn't care. His father hadn't asked him to do it _neatly_. He put the trolly away and stomped off into his room. He threw him self onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. _I don't' need them, _he thought, grabbing his music player and putting in his earbuds. _I'd do just fine on my own. _He turned up the volume on his music.

He laid there for the next hour, blaring his music and thinking bitter thoughts. He was jolted out of his thoughts when the ship shuddered as it dropped out of hyperspace and the sublight engines kicked in. Nye sat up and tugged out his earbuds. He sighed and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. His ears had returned to their normal resting position, and he's pretty much calmed down at this point. He rubbed his hands down his face and stood up. They'd be at the planet soon, which means his parents would need his help loading the cargo up. He found a pair of socks and put them on, followed by his shoes.

Nye walked out of his room and down the hall, peeking his head into the cargo bay. It was empty, so he went in and sat down on one of the boxes messily piled in the corner. His parents must still be in the cockpit, working out where to land, he thought. He rested his chin on his hand and waited. A few minutes later, there was the distinctive bump and rumbling of the ship entering the atmosphere of the planet. And a few moments after that, the ship slowed to a halt and gently lowered itself onto the landing gear.

Nye stood and stretched out. Loading wasn't too bad of a job. With the repulsor sleds, it was just a matter of making things fit. Nye walked over to the cargo ramp controls, and lowered the ramp all the way down. He figured they'd only need one down, since they were only taking on a bit of cargo. Nye heard someone walking up behind him, but he didn't turn to look. He just waited at the top of the ramp for his farther to go down and greet whoever was hiring them. Nye looked at his father as he passed, but didn't say a word to him.

Nye followed him down the ramp, where a man who looked decidedly not shady at all waited for them. He was a smartly dressed human of middle age. He extended a hand in greeting as Nye's father approached him.

"Ah, Mr. Thallo, how nice to finally meet you in person." The man said, shaking Nye's father's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Negrocios." Nye's father withdrew his hand, "Is the cargo ready to be loaded?"

"Yes, yes." Mr Negrocios gestured behind him to where a few large farm machines stood, along with several large crates, "We can begin loading as soon as you're ready." The man's gaze drifted up into the cargo bay, then over to Nye, as if seeing him for the first time. "Ah, Mr. Thallo, would this happen to be your son?"

"Yes, this is Nye," Nye's father said, wrapping his arm around him, "he'll help you load the cargo, if need be."

"No, no it's quite alright. I have my own men." Mr. Negrocios chuckled, gesturing behind him to a band of load workers, who were already getting the cargo prepped.

Nye bristled at him chuckling, his ears pointing straight up. He was being laughed at by a stranger. _What the hell does _he know_? I've always helped with the loading!_ Nye though bitterly, staring daggers at the man. Nye's father quickly sent him off to "go help your mother." Nye walk briskly off, his hands jammed in his pockets and his ears still pointing straight up. _It seems everyone is intent on humiliating me today_, he though, hitting the door control to the cockpit. His mother was inside, seated in the pilot's chair, looking over several data pads and the ship's computer. Nye practically threw himself down into the co-pilot's chair.

"What's wrong?" His mother asked, looking up from the screens.

"Nothing's wrong." He mumbled, staring out the view screen.

"Nye, you forget, I'm your mother. I know you." His mother smiled softly, putting her hand on his arm. Nye pulled away.

"Yeah, well apparently you don't need to know me to know what I'm thinking!" Nye grabbed his ears and yanked them down, letting out a loud, frustrated sound. "I hate how everyone can read me like a book!"

"Nye, you're perfect the way you are." His mother put her hand on his shoulder, and this time he didn't pull away. "These years especially are hard, not just for you, but for everyone your age. And you have to realize that there will always be people who will look down on you for who you are, but you can't listen to them. If you live your life by someone else's judgment, you'll never be happy." Nye sighed and let go of his ears. They returned to the resting position, but pointing slightly backwards, a sign of slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, you're right." Nye sighed, dropping his hands onto his lap.

"Of course I am. I'm your mother." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. As much of a pain they were, Nye was glad to have his parents around at times.

The door opened as his father walked in a few minutes later. Nye hopped out of the pilots chair and into the comm officer's chair behind it. Nye's father tapped a few of the controls, and the engines whined to life, shaking the ship.

"Cargo's all loaded up?" Nye asked, swiveling his chair to face the view port.

"Yup," his father replied, not taking his eyes of the controls, "now all that's left is to drop it off." The _Aegis Fate _slowly rose from the ground, turned toward the sky and took off. In no time they were leaving the planet behind.

Nie spun back around in his chair. Now came the boring part. His father already said it would take about a week to get to their destination. Maybe he could go back into the cargo hold, and figure out what some of those machines do. But then again, how exciting can farm equipment be? Nye sighed. He stood up from the chair and was moving toward the door when a light started flashing on the comm console. He went back over to look at it.

"Uh, hey dad, it looks like someone is haling us."

"Who is it?" His father asked, looking back at him.

"Dunno, I'll put it on." Nye hit a few buttons to open a comm link to whomever was hailing.

"This is light freighter _Aegis Fate _responding to hale."

There was a burst a static, then came a reply.

"This is Imperial inspection team Delta 25, maintain your current course and speed, power down your weapons and shields, and prepare for inspection." The calm voice of an Imperial officer came over the speakers. Nye froze. Imperial inspections were never a good thing.

"Copy that, Delta 25," His father spoke slowly, "is there a problem?"

"All cargo leaving this system is subject to inspection. Comply with the orders."

"_Aegis Fate_, wilco." Nye's father close the channel, then reached up and turned of their weapons and shields. The weapons on the _Aegis Fate _were almost nothing, just a single, forward firing laser cannon. It was hardly a threat to anyone.

"They're right on top of us!" Nye said, staring at the sensor screen. His ears pointed straight out form the side of his head, tilted forward and slightly down, a sign of fear.

"Alright, no need to panic. Nye, why don't you wait in your room. You're mother can wait here. I'll go see them at the airlock." Nye's father started to move toward the door.

"Wait!" His mother said, getting up after his father, "I'm coming with you."

"Ok. Nye, I want you to wait in your room." Nye simply nodded, his stomach tying itself in knots. He had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen. They all started to leave the bridge when someone started pounding on the airlock door. Nye had to resits the urge to bolt into his room and lock the door. He didn't want to look weak in front of his father.

"We're coming!" His father shouted, quickening his pace.

Nye walked as calmly as he could after them, peeling off into his room when they got to it. Nye quickly shut the door, leaving cracked. He pressed his ear against it, listening for what was going on outside. His ears weren't just for show; they were extremely sensitive, in just about every sense of the word.

Nye could hear his parents' quickening steps, and the pounding on the airlock becoming more impatient. Finally the airlock doors slid open, and the Imperials walked in. Nye couldn't tell how many. They started talking with his parents. He couldn't hear the whole conversation, but he caught the gist of it. They wanted to see the cargo. His parents obliged, leading them through the machine shop into the cargo bay.

Agonizing minutes went by. Nye fiddled with the hem of his shirt, his mind playing through all the horrible scenarios that could be taking place. He kept his ear firmly pressed against the door, even though it had begun to ache from the pressure. Finally, the machine shop doors opened and his parents and the Imperials came through. It looked like they were heading for the bridge. He could hear the voices more distinctly now. His father was trying to keep a friendly, polite tone. The Imperial, it only sounded like one was talking, had a more cold and detached tone.

They walked passed his room, and Nye got a good look at who was on board. There was three of them total. One was an Imperial officer, dressed in dark green-gray uniform of an Imperial officer. To his right and left were two stormtroopers, the very image of Imperial power. Nye gulped. These guys were serious. His stomach twisted itself into even more knots.

The group came to a stop at the end of the hallway, a few feet away from the bridge. Nye could only see his parents through the cracked door, but he could hear them just fine.

"Well, captain, I'm sorry to say," the Imperial officer said, his voice cold, "that it appears that your cargo has been stolen."  
>"What?" His father said, his ears went straight up in surprise, slightly angled out. His mother's eyes went wide. "That's not possible! I have documentation!"<p>

"Well, I'm afraid that it is possible," The Imperial said, his voice disinterested, "and as you know, transporting stolen goods is a serious offense. As such, I here by declare that this vessel be impounded, and you placed under arrest. Your vessel will be sold and the proceeds will go to the cost of your defense." For a moment no one said anything. His mother's eyes were wide with shock, her face pale. His father wore a disbelieving expression. Nye's blood turned to ice. They were gonna lose the ship? Where would they go, what would they do? This ship was their lively hood! Didn't this man understand that?

"This is outrageous! How dare you! Do you know what this ship means to my family!" Nye's father jammed his hand into his pocket, fishing for documentation on the cargo.

A bolt of red light suddenly sprang forth from one of the Imperials. It struck his father in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Nye fell back from the door, as it he too had been hit. Before he was able to process what he saw, his mother let out a scream of pure terror. A moment later the sound of a blaster silenced her as well. Then there was silence.

Nye's mind was reeling. Had he really just seen that? He couldn't have. There must be some kind mistake. His parents couldn't have been shot. Maybe it was on the stun setting? That had to be it. His parents couldn't be...dead.

A voice finally broke through the silence.

"What the hell did you do that for, you jackass?" It took a moment for Nye to recognize it was the Imperial officer. He used the same tone of voice one would use to berate a friend who did something stupid.

"I thought he was going for a weapon!" The voice of one of the stormtrooper's echoed down the hall, his voice coming through the speaker in his helmet. "What did he shoot her for?"

"So that there weren't any witnesses, you moron!" Came the second stormtrooper's retort. Nye couldn't believe it. They sounded like they were discussing some trivial matter, not like they've just murdered his parents!

"So...what now?" The first stormtrooper asked, kicking the deck plating.

"We'll rig the sensor data to make it look like they were attacked by pirates. You two get back to the ship, before you cause anymore problems."

"Should we move the bodies?" The first stormtrooper asked.

"What's the point? Just leave them there." The Imperial officer said, walking off toward the bridge. The stormtroopers walked off without saying a word. Nye say there, sprawled out on the floor, in a state of shock. His mind was blank. His heart seemed to have stopped. _There's no way this is happening_, he kept thinking to himself. He stared wide eyed at the door as if it held some explanation.

A few minutes later the Imperial officer walked briskly by. Nye listened to his footsteps echo down the hall, until he had reached the airlock. The airlock doors closed, and a dull _thump _resonated through the ship as the Imperial craft detached. A few moments later, the hyperdrive engaged, and the ship took off toward an unknown destination.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nye crawled toward the door. He grasped the frame and pulled himself to his feet, his legs shaking and weak.

"Mom? Dad?" Nye called through the cracked door, not daring to open it and see what was outside.

After a few long moments with no response, he opened the door. There, at the end of the hall were his parents, sprawled out on the ground. He shakily made his down the hall, leaning against the wall for support.

"Mom? Dad?" He called out again, his ears pointing toward his shoulder. As he slowly made his way down the hall, the reality of the situation sank deeper and deeper in. Tears started to roll down his cheeks.

He finally made it to where his parents were laying. He collapsed between the two, sobs wracking his body as the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He embraced each one, calling their names, as if it would somehow bring them back to life. He was crying so hard that it physically hurt.

He didn't know how long he knelt there, sobbing. Eventually he somehow managed to stagger to his feet and stumble into the bridge. He collapsed into the pilot's chair, sobs still shaking his body, eyes red and swollen from the tears.

He looked at where the Imperials had sent the ship. It looked like they were heading to the middle of nowhere. He managed to bring the ship to a halt, and turn it toward his home planet. As the _Aegis Fate _leaped back into hyperspace, he wondered what the hell he was going to do now.


	2. Chapter 2

Nye hadn't dared to leave the bridge after setting the ship on it's way. The prospect of leaving the bridge and seeing his parents' bodies again terrified him. He knew that he should probably move them, but he wasn't ready to face the frightening reality that they were truly gone. That he was alone. He thought that he had cried all his tears, but more sprang to his eyes as he realized what that actually meant. He had no one to rely on, no one to support him. No one to care for him. He was alone, one boy in a vast, lonely galaxy that truly didn't care whether he lived or died. He supposed that he might have relatives, but both his parents had been only children, and he didn't really know his grandparents. His family was always on the move, and so didn't have much time to visit relatives. A crushing sense of loneliness settled over his despair. Nye curled up into a ball in the pilot's chair, sobbing quietly until he eventually fell asleep.  
>Nye awoke several hours later to the beeping of the the control panel. He stood up, his entire body aching from sleeping contorted in a chair. His muscles and joints popped as he stretched. Nye collapsed back down into the chair, staring at the control screen with bloodshot eyes. The ship was coming up on his home planet, a place called Tahanan. It was a beautiful planet, full of lush, green forests and crystal blue lakes. There was also a curious creature that lived there, a deer like animal with two small arms, that would often pick the pockets of tourists. Nye wasn't sure why exactly he had come back here. There wasn't even so much as a home here. He had no family or friends here. The only connection he had with this place he had been born here. He realized that the truth was simply that he had nowhere else to go.<p>

Nye stared vacantly out the view screen at the approaching planet. Nye went through the motions of guiding the ship to a landing spot like a zombie. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball on the floor and sleep forever. He selected a landing zone more or less at random. As the ship descended toward the many lakes in the northern hemisphere, Nye thought about what he was doing. Selecting a burial spot for his parents. He was about to bury his only family, his only friends. Nye's breath hitched and tears pricked at this eyes. Nye bit down hard on his lip. He had to fight back the tears, if only long enough to land the ship. He took several deep, steadying breaths, trying to quell his surge of emotions. After a few moments he had regained his composure enough to land the _Aegis_.

Nye guided the ship down toward one of the many small lakes that dotted the planet. He made sure it was far enough away from anyone to go unnoticed. The _Aegis_ touched down in a clearing not far from the water's edge. Nye slowly took his hands off the ship's controls. He dreaded what was going to come next. He slowly stood from his chair and faced the door. He walked slowly, slowly toward the door. His finger hovered over the door control. Nye gulped hard. _Gotta be brave, gotta be brave_, Nye chanted to himself, finger still hovering over the button. Finally the worked up the courage, and jammed his finger into the button. The door slid open, revealing his parents' corpses on the floor. Nye stared at them. His mother's dead eyes stared back. Nye couldn't help it. He collapsed on his knees, leaning against the door frame, sobbing hard. No tears flowed from his eyes because he had none left. The almost constant crying fits had drained them all away. Each sob that wracked his body was painful from having done it so much.

The debilitating grief passed not long after it over came him. Nye got shakily to his feet, pulling himself up. He walked over and knelt between them, gently closing their eyes. He stood back up and looked at the bodies. There was no dignified way to do this by himself. He would have to drag the bodies through the halls and down the boarding ramps. Nye reached down and grasped his fathers ankles, and started to pull him toward the ramp. He had to fight off fits of grief the entire way, finally making his way off the ship with the body. He finally stopped a few yards from the ship.

Nye went back up into the ship for his mother. He looked down at her. She was small enough, light enough. He could carry her. Nye scooped her up in his arms and carried her back down the ramp. He gently laid her down next to his father. Nye looked around, wondering what to do next. He couldn't just leave them there to get eaten by animals, but he was pretty sure there wasn't a shovel on the ship. Nye sighed. He would have to improvise.

He walked back up into the ship, heading for the machine shop. He dug around, looking for anything he could use. The best he could come up with was a few large wrenches. He could make those work if he really had to, he supposed.

Nye walked into the cargo bay to try his luck there. It caught his eye the instant he walked in. One of the farm machines they had taken aboard was very clearly a digging machine. It was a small one, but it would get the job done. Nye ran over to it and hopped in the seat. Before him was an assortment of buttons and levers. Nye looked over each one carefully, hunting for the start button. Nye found what looked like the right one, and pushed it. The machine rumbled to life, the engine having the smooth sound of one right off the line. Nye hit the button again. The machine went silent. Nye leaned back in the chair, relieved. He could put his parents to rest properly.

Nye went to put down the cargo ramp, then went back to the machine and started it up again. He spent a few minutes acquainting himself with the controls, then began to guide the machine carefully out of the cargo bay. It's metal tracks made an incredibly loud racket against the metal floor. Nye managed to make it out of the cargo with out smashing the other cargo. That might have been due to the fact that everything was spread out, though. Every turn he made was jerky, and he was almost thrown from the seat when he stopped at the bottom of the ramp.

Nye guided the digger over to his parents' bodies, and set to work digging two graves. It took him a little bit to get used to controlling the digging arm, but once he did, the digger made short work of the job, but Nye had to keep stopping as grief threatened to overcome him time and again. It felt like someone had punched a gaping hole in his soul, and torn his heart out through it. But as he dug, another emotion started to creep over him. Nye pushed it to the back of his mind, along with the grief.

Nye gently lowered each body into it's grave, then used the digging arm to push the soil back into the hole. He turned off the machine once he had finished, hopping off it. He walked over to the shore of the lake in front of where he had landed. Nye set to work gathering pocketfuls of stones, only returning to the graves when he couldn't carry anymore. He laid the stones out on the graves, making a pattern that looked like a looping, upside down seven with a dot in the middle. It was the symbol for "god" in his mother's religion. Neither he nor his father were especially religious, but his mother was. He had a feeling this is what she would have wanted.

Nye stood and looked down at the graves. He expected to feel more crippling grief, but another emotion bubbled up inside him. It overtook the grief and loneliness he was feeling, and sent his whole body quivering. It wasn't grief, or loneliness or sorrow, but anger. Rage. He knew what the had to do then. He would avenge his parents, make the Empire pay. He would find an Imperial base, go in and kill everyone he could. He would get his and his parents' revenge.

"Mom, Dad." He said, his voice shaking, "I promise, I'll take revenge. I'll make them pay." Nye turned and looked up at the _Aegis Fate_. He was going to need a lot more firepower than that puny laser cannon could provide.

Nye drove the digger back up into the cargo bay, already thinking up a plan. He would fly to the closets city he could find, sell all the cargo, and use the money to outfit his ship with better weapons. Nye trudged back into the bridge after closing up the cargo bay. Nye pulled up a map of the area. There was large city about fifty miles to the northeast. He would fly there, find a merchant to sell all the cargo to, then find someone to sell him weapons.

Nye accessed the city's database as he flew towards it, looking some kind of parts dealer. He scrolled down the list, aimlessly looking at the names. He finally settled on a generic sounding place that had it's own landing pad. He raised them on the comm.

An older man's voice crackled over the comm, "G&D equipment sales and parts, what can I help you with?"

"I have some farming equipment I need to unload, do you guys buy that kinda stuff?" Nye asked, leaning over the control screen, his head in his hands.

"Depends on what yah got." The man's gruff voice came over the radio again.

"I'm sending you the list now." Nye hit a few buttons to transfer the cargo manifest to the man.

"Alright, I got it." There was silence for a few moments, "Yup this all looks good. How much you want for all this?"

"How bout we discuss prices once I land?" That's one thing Nye's father had always told him. Always discuss prices face to face if possible. "Do you have your own landing pad?"

"As a matter of fact we do, I'll send you the coordinates now." A set of numbers appeared on one of the screens. "How long till you get here?"

"I should be there in about twenty minutes." Nye answered, entering the numbers into the ship's navigation computer.

"Ok, I'll make sure the landing pad is clear for you." The man closed the comm channel.

Nye leaned back in his chair. _So far, so good_, Nye thought to himself. He just needed to get a fair price from the man. Nye blinked. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure how much all that equipment was worth. He figured it might be prudent to find out before he arrived. Nye decided to do a little research. He pulled up the transaction log from the pick up. His jaw dropped when he saw the figures. He was carrying almost 45,000 credits worth of equipment. He could get some serious firepower with that amount of money.

Nye eased up on the throttle as he reached the landing pad. He carefully lowered the ship down, the pad just big enough to accommodate her. Nye shut off the engines as the landing gear touched down. Nye looked out the view screen and saw an older man walking toward the ship. He certainly looked the part of a mechanic, with a bald head, a big mustache and coveralls. Nye hurried down the halls toward the cargo ramp. When he lowered the ramp, the man was already waiting.

"Good to meet you, Mister...?" The man called to him as Nye hurried down the ramp.

"Thallo, Nye Thallo." Nye shook the man's hand when he reached the bottom of the ramp.

"David Smith." Nye tilted his head slightly at the man's odd name. "Yes, I know, not exactly a common name. Now, you had some farm equipment to show me?"

"Yes, sir, right this way." Nye lead the man up into the cargo bay.

"Are you all by yourself, Mr. Thallo?" Smith asked from behind him. Nye heard his unasked question, "Where are your parents, little boy?"

"Yes." Nye replied curtly, "Here's the equipment I was telling you about."

"Ah, yes." Smith said, walking around the cargo bay. The next few minutes were spend following Smith around the cargo bay, answering any questions the man had.

"So, Mr. Smith, how much would you offer for all this?" Nye asked after they had seen it all.

"Hmmm," Mr. Smith stroked his mustache, "how about 20,000?"

"Excuse me for saying so, sir, but that's bullshit. There's at least 45,000 worth of material here. I won't take any less than 40,000." Nye's ears perked up slightly in annoyance.

"I'm afraid I can't do more than 25,000." Smith gave him a hard look, hoping to intimidate him. Nye wasn't about to be pushed over by a bald fat man.

"35,000, no less." Nye's ears stood up and flared out, an confrontational stance. "This stuff is in pristine condition, and I'm sure I can always find another buyer."

Mr. Smith kept stroking his mustache, thinking it over. "Alright," he finally said, "35,000 it is. I'll get my boys to unload it, lets go inside and get all of the paperwork out of the way. Nye followed him inside, pleased with himself. Even though it wasn't the full 45,000 worth, he would still be able to buy a few big guns with 35,000.

Nye returned to the _Aegis_ as soon as the transfer of money was complete. He took of quickly from the landing pad. Step one of his plan was complete. Now, onto step two. He needed some bigger guns.


	3. Chapter 3

Nye steered the _Aegis _back into orbit, circling the planet a few times before choosing one of the cities in the southern hemisphere more or less at random. He brought up the directory as he approached and started skimming through it. He might have better luck in one of the big cities, but he didn't want to attract too much attention from the wrong people. He continud to scan the directory until he found a shop that sold "ship add-ons and modifications." _That looks promising,_ Nye thought. He reached for the comm console and hit a few buttons to bring up the shop. After a few moments a voice came over the speaker.

"Hello, what can I help yeah with?" A man's voice came other the radio. The man sounded...a bit shady. Nye smiled. He could use shady this time.

"I'm looking for some upgrades for my ship. Specifically, I need to add on a bit more..." Nye thought for a moment, "firepower."

"Well, I think we can arrange something." The man chuckled, "What kinda ship have you got?"

"A Barloz class freighter. And I have 35,000 credits in hand." Nye leaned back in his chair, feeling for the first time in ages that he was in control of things.

"Ah, I see. We have quite a bit we can offer to you in that price range. I'm sending you the coordinates of my landing pad. Once you're here, we can get you what you need and have it installed for yah right away."

"Good, I'd like to be on my way as quickly as possible." Nye replied, punching the coordinates into the computer. "I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Ok, I'll be waitin for yah on the platform." The comm went silent. Nye stared out the view port at the group flying past underneath him. What was he going to do with all this firepower he was going to get? Attacking any Imperial base solo would be suicide. _Maybe that's what I want,_ Nye thought, _maybe I want to die_. Nye shook his head. He was going to get vengeance for his parents, it didn't matter how he did it.

The landing pad came into view, and Nye guided the _Aegis Fate _down onto it. Nye felt some nervous jitters as the ship came to rest, his ears angled slightly out from their resting position. He smoothed them over, trying to calm down. He didn't want to give anything about his intentions away to the dealer. Nye hurried down the hallways to the boarding ramp. Waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp was the man Nye assumed was the dealer.

He was a curious looking fellow, almost two feet taller than Nye, with no discernible nose, as well as no hair or eyebrows. Nye walked down the ramp toward him.

"Ah, I assume it was your father who called about the weapon upgrades? Where is he?"

"No, that was me. I contacted you about that." Nye's ears stood straight up in annoyance. Why did people insist on treating him like a child?

"Well, sorry kid. I can't be selling weapons to a kid." The man chuckled softly. Nye bristled, his ears pointing as straight up as they would go, quivering slightly.

"Look!" Nye jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a credit chip, holding it up for the man to see. "This is 35,000 credits! If you don't want it, fine. I'm sure I can find someone who does. But if you do, give me the same respect you would any other customer!" Nye seethed, looking up the at the man. He _hated _having tolook up at people.

The man looked down at Nye with a bemused smile, "Alright, you're right. I'll be happy to take those credits off your hands. Whadda say we go in side and see what you want, Mr...?"

"Thallo." Nye simply said, staring up at the man.

"Alright, Mr. Thallo. You can call me Uide. Let's go see what we can getcha." Udie turned and headed for the shop. Nye followed, jamming the credit chip back into his pocket and balling his hands into fists. _He's still looking down on me, still making fun of me!_ Nye fumed.

The inside of the Uide's shop was something else. There were ship parts scattered all about, from engine couplings to hull plating and even an older model hyperdrive sitting in the corner. There were mechanics scattered throughout the shop, none of them looking up from their work as they passed. Nye relaxed a bit. This man seemed to have a large inventory, maybe he was the right choice. Uide lead him into a room off to the side of the shop.

"Alright, here we go." Uide pulled up his inventory list on a screen in the middle of the room. "Let's see what we can get for you." He and Nye went over the list for some time, picking out the best combination for the money. Nye eventually settled on two dual turbolaser turrets, as well as adding a dual laser cannon turret to replace the fixed one already on the ship.

"Ok, then," Uide said, leading Nye back into the shop area, "I'll get my men to work right away. We should have it all finished in a couple hours. We work on freighters of this type all the time."

"Alright, good." Nye said, running his hand through his hair, " The sooner I can leave the better."

"Flying in on a moments notice, beefing up your firepower then taking off? Where are yah going?" Uide asked as they walked back toward the ship. Nye said nothing. "Look, if you're going off to join the rebellion, you should reconsider. Sure, I know if sounds romantic and noble to join a band of revolutionaries and take down the Empire, but think about it for a minute. The Empire keeps things stable. They protect us. Think about what would happen if they suddenly disappeared, eh? There'd be anarchy, lawlessness. Look, alls I'm saying is that you should reconsider if that's what you're gonna do." Uide called a few of his men over after he'd finished his lecture.

Nye was biting his tongue so hard he could taste blood. His fists were balled up so tight his nails were cutting into his palm. He tried to conceal his anger, but once again, his ears gave him away. They pointed straight out from his head, flared forwards. Nye wondered if he knew what that meant. All he knew is that there as nothing good about the Empire.

Nye walked back into the _Aegis _as Uide's posse of workers started pulling parts out of the shop. Nye walked into the cargo bay and lowered the ramp so they could get the bigger parts in more easily. Uide came strolling up the ramp.

"Ok," Uide said, several of his men in tow, "we should be done here in a few hours. You'll be able to take off before night fall."

Nye nodded. "I'll be on the bridge if you need anything." Nye turned and left the cargo bay. There was only one step left in his plan. Nye sat down at the navigation terminal. He pulled up his father's maps, and started going through them. They were incredibly detailed. He wondered how his father had gotten information like this.

Soon, he found what he was looking for. An Imperial base, on an cold, desolate planet several light yeas out. It looked to be some kind of garrison, probably of medium size. Probably a couple hundred troops there. He wondered how many he could kill before they killed him. Nye sighed loudly, leaning back in his chair. Was this really just a roundabout way of killing himself? Even if it was, he thought, at least he'd take come of those bastards with him.

Nye stood up and headed back to the machine shop. He walked to the back wall and ran his hand over it. He stopped when his fingers ran over a seem in the wall. He pushed up, and the section of the wall came free. Behind the wall, lying on it's side, was a blaster pistol. Nye picked it up and brushed the dust off it's chromed body. His father had originally bough it in case they were boarded by pirates. His mother had not approved of it, and made him keep it hidden. Neither of them had known that Nye knew where it was. He used to sneak it out late at night as a kid. He would admire everything about it. Nye flicked the safety off, and the gun wined to life. He was going to need it in case he was shoot down. He could take out a few more with it.

Nye stood there, staring at the pistol for several long minutes. He suddenly lifed it and put the barrel to his temple, his finger drifting onto the trigger. _This is what I want, isn't it? To die? That's why I'm going to attack that base. Wouldn't it just be easier to do it now? _Nye thought, pressing the barrel a little bit closer to the side of his head.

_No_, another thought crossed his mind, _I can't die yet. Not like this. I need to take revenge. To make them pay. Then...then I can die._ Nye stood there, with the gun to his head, for several more minutes. Finally, he lowered the gun and flicked the safety back on. He needed to get revenge for his parents. Then, it didn't matter what happened to him.

Nye took off toward the Imperial base as soon as the installation of the new weapons was complete. He cradled his head in one hand, while holding a cup of coffee in the other. It had been almost a full twenty hour hours since he last slept, and he desperately wanted to now. But he feared what waited for him in his dreams. Dreams of his parents, of their deaths, of his own ineptitude. He didn't dare enter his dreams. _Besides, there's enough time to sleep when you're dead_, Nye thought cynically, taking a long sip from his coffee.

Nye glanced at the countdown clock. Just a few more minutes till he would arrive at the base. Nye's heart started to beat faster. The climax of his life was fast approaching. Soon, soon he would die. Die taking revenge for his parents. Then, if his mother was to be believed, they'd be reunited in the next life. And even if she was wrong, death would be much better than the agony of life. Nye bit his lip as tears sprang to his eyes. Now wasn't the time for tears.

Nye already had a grip on the controls when the countdown hit zero. The planet filled his view as the _Aegis Fate_jumped back into normal space. Nye had set the calculations to put him as close to the planet as possible. Nye pushed the throttle all the way forward and set his jaw as the _Aegis Fate _screamed through the atmosphere toward the base. Any moment now, the anti-aircraft cannons the base most likely would have would open up on him, and the battle would begin. Any moment now. Any. Moment. Now.

Nye glanced at his sensors. The base was definitely there. But he was getting only very minimal readings. Nye looked at the comm screen. He had set it to scan for transmissions. Nothing. They should have noticed him by now, he though. Nye leveled out as the base came into view. It was very clearly deserted, and had been for along time. Nye's father's maps were out of date. He slammed his fists down on the console.

"Goddammit!" This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was going to die fighting here. He had gotten himself psyched up for it, and now, he wasn't sure he could do it again. Nye took hold of the controls once again to put the ship down in front of the base. He glanced at he pistol in the co-pilot's chair next to him. He had already decided he wasn't leaving this planet. It would be his and the _Aegis's _final resting place.

As he was setting down, however, the comm station alerted him that it had a signal. Nye looked over at it. It had picked up a passive signal, coming from the north east. Nye's heart started beating faster. Maybe that's were the Imperials were.

Nye flew the _Aegis _over to where the signal was originating from. He put the _Aegis _into a lazy circle as he looked for where the signal was coming from. He couldn't see any obvious origin point. All that was outside his view screen was a barren, rocky river, flanked on either side by barren rocky hills. Nye flew a few more circles before his sensors picked up a slight heat signature coming from one of the hills. Nye squinted down at it. Nothing. He decided to put the ship down for a look, just for the hell of it. He quickly descended. Nye put the pistol in his waist band as he moved toward the boarding ramp.

Nye stepped off the boarding ramp as soon as it touched the ground, and instantly regretted now having warmer clothes. The air was chilled, and the steady wind made it even worse. His short sleeved shirt offered little protection against the cold. His ears felt numb with in a matter of moments.

Nye looked around as he walked toward the hill. This planet was rather depressing. The sky was gray and overcast, the sun just barely shining through. The hills were topped with caps of dull green grass. Everything else was just rocks and dirt. And everything had a gray tint to it, including the river. Nye shivered.

He took a few more steps toward the hill before he saw it. A door. A very well camouflaged door, but a door none the less. Nye ran over to it. It had no handle, only a key pad. Nye punched a few of the buttons randomly. Of course, the door remained closed. He took a few steps back and drew his pistol. He fired it at the key pad. It exploded into a shower of sparks as the laser bolt hit it, but the door remained locked. Or it might as well have, since it had no handle.

Nye ran back to the _Aegis. Time to test out these new cannons, _Nye thought. He'd come here in such a hurry he hadn't even had time to properly test the weapons before he rushed here. He selected the port cannon and manually aimed it at the door. Once he had gotten it lined up perfectly, he pulled the trigger. The shot reverberated throughout the ship, and the door, along with most of the hillside, exploded. Nye smiled. It was always fun blowing stuff up, especially when it wasn't yours.

Nye hurried back down the boarding ramp toward the hill, pistol drawn. The wind was quickly moving the smoke away, and Nye could see into the doorway. On the other side was a white hall way, at the end of which laid the door. Nye giggled. That had a been a powerful shot. Nye got serious again as he moved into the hallway, his pistol pointed out in front of him. He made it to the end of the hall without seeing a single soul. _You'd think there would be some people around after someone blasts their way in, _he though.

The hallway split at the end. Nye went to the right first. He found several doors lining the hall. He opened each one carefully, pointing his pistol through. The first door looked to be a conference room of some kind, with a long table surrounded by chairs. The next several doors all appeared to be sleeping quarters. The final door at the end of the hall way a bathroom. There was no one in any of the rooms. But several of the beds in the sleeping quarters were unmade, and looked like someone had been in them recently.

Nye headed back down to the other end of the hall. There were about four separate rooms, each one with a large glass window. Nye opened the door and walked into one. It looked to be some kind of lab. Test equipment was lying across a large table in the middle, along with various computer parts. Nye checked the other rooms as well. They were all the same. His ears perked up, rotating forward as he walked out of the fourth room. He could hear voices coming from the door at the end of the hall. It looked like some kind of storage room. Nye crept slowly down the hall towards it, his pistol pointed in front of him. He flung the door open.

And came face too face with a group of scientists. Or at least Nye assumed they were, since they seemed to be the only ones here. They were men, of various ages, all human. And they all had the Imperial insignia on their lab coats.

"Who the hell are you?" Nye demanded, his eyes moving between them, his ears dropping down and facing forward.

"I should be asking you that!" An older man near the front of the group said. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came here to avenge my parents. You killed them." Nye's whole body started to feel hot. He had these men in the same place those Imperials had his parents.

"What are you talking about?" The man said incredulously, "I never killed anyone, nor has anyone else here!"

"Well, maybe it wasn't you," Nye said between clenched teeth, "but the Empire did. An inspection party boarded my ship and murdered my parents in cold blood. I saw it with my own two eyes. They were defenseless." Nye's eyes started to tear up. As soon as he said those words, though, he knew he couldn't kill these men. They weren't even soldiers, just civilians. He would be no better than that Imperial officer if he did.

"Look, young man, I think it would be best if you just left now, before the reinforcements I called for get here. Things could get ugly then." The man took a step forward, putting his hands up. Nye saw the man behind him try to subtly grab something of the shelf next to him and slip it into his pocket.

"What was that?" Nye asked, stepping to the side to get a better look at the man.

"What was what?" The second man asked innocently, putting his hands up.

"That thing you just took off the shelf and put in your pocket, what was it?" Nye glared at the man.

"I didn't put-"

"DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME!" Nye screamed, his voice breaking. He waved the pistol at the second man. Everyone in the room jumped.

"Go on and show him, son." The older man instructed. The second man nodded, and slowly pulled out the object. It was a disk that looked to be made out of some kind of crystal.

"What is it?" Nye asked, looking between everyone. No one answered. "What. Is. It?" he asked again, pointing his pistol at the older man.

The older man sighed. "It's an artificial intelligence, possibly the most advanced ever created." Nye stared at the man, trying to decided whether he was lying or not.

"Give it to me." Nye said, holding out his hand. The younger man glanced at the older man, wondering what to do. The older man simply nodded. The younger man took a step forward and placed the disk in Nye's hand. It was surprisingly heavy. "The Alliance will be happy to have this, I'm sure." Nye slipped the disk into his pocket. He started to back away from the group.

"Ah, so the truth comes out. You were sent here by the Alliance, huh?"

"No, I came here on my own accord. I came here to die avenging my family!"

"Well, you'll soon have your chance! The reinforcements should be here any moment now!" The older man shouted. Nye turned and ran back toward the _Aegis._ He had to get off this rock before the Imperials showed up. Even if the old man was bluffing there was no point in sticking around.

Nye ran through the halls of the _Aegis _and into the bridge. He quickly lifted off and headed for the void. As soon as he was free of the atmosphere, his sensors picked up an Imperial cruiser entering the system.

"Looks like the old man wasn't bluffing." Nye mumbled, punching in the coordinates to this home planet. "I think it's time to leave." The _Aegis _ lurched forward and was in hyperspace before cruiser could do anything. Nye leaned back in his chair once he was safely in hyperspace. Nye pulled out the disk from his pocket. It looked like holodisk, though most of the ones he'd seen in the past had been made out of metal. _Let's see if the old man was telling the truth about this too_. Nye pushed the disk into the holoprojector in the center of the console. Nye was amazed by what he saw.

A woman appeared from the projector. She wore no clothes, but she wasn't naked. Her skin was golden yellow, with long, geometric patterns on it. Her golden hair reached down past her hips. Her dull, golden eyes seemed to study him.

"Well, hello there." She finally spoke, her voice soft, "I'm Joyeuse. And who might you be?"


End file.
